Anyone that’s bought a house realizes that a little renovation can lead to something a little more…surprising–sometimes good and sometimes bad. While some people just find shoddy workmanship, some find something that they never would have suspected. The latter is the story of what happened to Michigan homeowner David Olsen.
Olsen wanted to get rid of a cinder block porch, but things took a turn when he began to remove the cinder blocks. Olsen had a little more restraint than the rest of us, so he wanted to look behind the structure before taking a hammer to it. It took a bit, but he was able to pull out a single block. And behind it?
Behind was an odd half-black, half-blue sphere. After pulling it out and dusting it off, he realized it was a bowling ball. Well, that’s certainly one way to secure your foundation…I guess. Round objects aren’t really the epitome of “stable,” so of course, this piqued his interest.
Now, while yours truly would go in with a sledgehammer, putting all the force I could muster behind it, Olsen did something a little different. He started to remove everything carefully to see just what was behind all the cinder blocks. It turns out there was more than one bowling ball!
At first, he uncovered just 15. Pretty impressive, but there’s even more. Olsen didn’t have a chance to really get in there just yet, so he called the company whose name was engraved on the bowling ball, Brunswick Bowling Products. The serial numbers actually revealed that some of the balls dated all the way back to the 1950s!
That was around the time the home was originally built, so they had to have been there then. It’s unclear why, but this isn’t the first time someone found something under their home. Some people find old bottles, stained glass window shards, pieces of an original structure--but bowling balls?! That’s certainly a first.
Olsen didn’t stop digging until he found a total of 158 bowling balls under his home. Honestly, that may be just the beginning. He’s quoted as saying, “Surrounding the cement staircase is a patio made of paver blocks, and a few were unlevel so I took them out... and I ran into a few more balls.”
Olsen went onto say, “I'm about 75% sure that there are just as many balls in the ground as there are out, maybe even more.” Looking at the pictures, it’s obvious that there could be hundreds more (if not thousands). With this many balls, this Michigan homeowner could set up his own bowling alley.
The story had gone viral, so Olsen decided to put up a Facebook page dedicated to this discovery. It shows the entire journey from start to finish. Olsen and his wife decided that they had to do something with the bowling balls. They were a part of the history of the house, after all!
While some of them have been placed in the ground as pavers, he and his wife have gotten extremely creative. The Facebook page he started offers a lot of great ideas just in case the family runs out of ideas--remember, there are over 150 balls here! They can’t all be pavers.
Some people are suggesting that the family create a mosaic out of them for beautiful yard décor. Gotta admit that these are certainly pretty, and it isn’t like a ton of people have them. Others are suggesting they use them as flowerbed edging. At least that won’t attract termites like wood might.
Others are suggesting he glue mirrors or CDs onto the bowling balls to create a reflective surface. That would certainly be pretty when the sun is bright and shining, but it isn’t the prettiest thing in the world. Plus, it isn’t like you can hang the balls up like a disco ball! Nah, Olsen is going with a different idea.
Olsen decided that he liked the landscape edging idea, so that’s what he rolled with! With this many balls, he could line his whole property…at least for the most part! Obviously, his kids had a lot of fun with the project. Because most are the same colors (black, white, and blue), it looks intentional!
It may not increase the value of the house, but oh well. It’s a conversation starter. Other people are telling him he should team up with a local bowling alley and have a bowling night with the balls. It would raise a little money, especially if he allows the people to keep the balls.
While working on the landscaping idea, they started pulling up some of the old pavers that were already placed down. It didn’t look like they were installed correctly, so it was time to make a safer, even walkway for their kids. While doing so the family found some more stuff.
It wasn’t bowling balls this time, but something a little more dangerous (at least for the kiddos). They found several busted light bulbs. The glass was still around the bulbs, so they may have not been broken when they were buried in the ground. It’s currently unknown how old the bulbs are, but they aren’t recent.
The story will definitely continue, especially since it’s reached all over the world. Even a major news network in Sweden, Dagens Nyheter, picked up the story! Because of this, people have flocked to his Facebook page sharing their own bowling ball stories--most being couples who’ve met at an alley.
As the story continued to spread, American late-night TV started to pick it up. Jimmy Fallon couldn’t keep the story quiet, and we can see why. Who knew that a little home repair like this could lead to something like this?
Not only was it about a family finding something fun and funky under their porch, but it was also about connecting people from all over America and the world. One thing is for sure: these balls won’t end up in a landfill…and hopefully not under a house again. There’s certainly a ton of ideas on his Facebook page!
Since he has the media coverage, he’s using his current story to get himself a new porch. Honestly, we can’t blame him. The porch wasn’t stellar, to begin with, so why not use this time to get a little moolah and a really nice back porch to go along with his bowling ball landscape edging?
David Olsen started a GoFundMe on July 12th to build a new deck. No doubt asking for money was hard for him. On his GoFundMe page, he stated, "Hello, my name is Bowling Ball Man, formally known as David Olson. I have by the grace of god received international attention for my story. I thought long and hard about the decision to start a go fund me and would be kicking myself later if I didn’t give it a shot.”
He went on to say, “If every viewer donated even a single dollar it would generate over $5,000. I am starting a go fund me to raise funds to pay for the replacement of my patio and to build a new deck and create a documentary while unearthing more balls. This will take time and money both of which are in short supply for me.” However, that portion has now been edited out.
On top of that, he’ll use the money to excavate more of his house. Although, at this point, he’s going to have to start going underneath it if he wants to find more balls! Olsen feels like there’s a story behind these balls, but he can’t tell it unless he has the financial ability.
So far, the page hasn’t raised a lot of money. As of July 16, there was over $250 already, but that number could raise pretty quickly. As more news networks pick it up and people visit the Facebook page, his dream might become a reality! Only time will tell. Hopefully, he can at least replace his patio.
